The Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo, 39, will participate in his sixth European Championship (this year it will be played in Germany, from June 14). In addition, veteran defender Pepe was also called up by coach Roberto Martínez. Ronaldo, who scored goals in every edition of the Euro Cup since his first participation (in 2004), has 14 goals in the continental competition . Last year, Cristiano scored ten goals in the qualifying matches for the tournament.
Ronaldo, who currently plays for Al-Nassr in the Saudi professional league, where he scored 42 goals and had 13 assists in all competitions. “Christian? It is better to talk about the data. He is a player who has scored 42 goals in 41 games with his club,” said DT Martínez. “That shows his physical ability to always be in shape, in addition to the quality he has in front of the rival goal.”
Ronaldo will not be the oldest member of the squad, since Martínez also called up Pepe , Porto defender, who turned 41 . Pepe was a fundamental piece for Porto this year, in which he has played 38 games. The team reached the round of 16 of the Champions League and was third in the league, behind Sporting and Benfica. He is also in the Portuguese Cup final.
”Pepe’s role in the locker room is important, the way he represents the national team’s shirt (…) And it was interesting to see him play two games in March and keep a clean sheet during the 90 minutes he played. His communication, his positioning mean that, when he is fit, he is a very important player,” the coach highlighted.
Cristiano Ronaldo goals in the national team
Nine Premier League players were called up, including Ruben Dias, Diogo Dalot, Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva and Diogo Jota. Gonçalo Inacio is the only Sporting player in the squad.
Below, those mentioned from Portugal:
- Goalkeepers: Diogo Costa (Porto), José Sa (Wolverhampton Wanderers) and Rui Patricio (Roma).
- Defenders: Antonio Silva (Benfica), Danilo Pereira (Paris Saint Germain), Diogo Dalot (Manchester United), Gonçalo Inacio (Sporting), Joao Cancelo (Barcelona), Nelson Semedo (Wolves), Nuno Mendes (PSG), Pepe (Porto ) and Ruben Dias (Manchester City).
- Midfielders: Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United), Joao Neves (Benfica), Joao Palhinha (Fulham), Otavio Monteiro (Al Nassr), Ruben Neves (Al-Hilal) and Vitinha (PSG).
- Forwards: Bernardo Silva (Manchester City), Cristiano Ronaldo (Al Nassr), Diogo Jota (Liverpool), Francisco Conceicao (Porto), Gonçalo Ramos (PSG), Joao Félix (Barcelona), Pedro Neto (Wolves) and Rafael Leao (Milan ).
